There are times when eyeliners are mistaken for pens and fashion editors go missing under Sass & Bide heaps; when balayage is not so much a hairstyle of choice, but rather one of convenience. It’s hard and it’s fast and there’s more to do than ever seems achievable, but it’s always finished triumphantly, and is my favourite part of being part of a magazine. I hope you enjoy the latest issue of Just Be magazine with yours truly as beauty editor. On stands now!

It seems that luxury shopping isn’t just for the affluent. According to a new study by Total Beauty Media Group, women of are spending up on luxury beauty products, regardless of their age or income.

The twelve-month study found that women across the board have purchased a luxury product in the last year.

Surprisingly, 43 per cent of study respondents stated they weren’t making their high-end beauty purchases in store, favouring shopping online to spend up on prestige products.

And while thrifty shopping is still popular, most women admitted to making their purchase decisions based on product quality, rather than price.

Have you purchased a luxury product in the last year? And which do you think is more important – price or prestige?

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

In the world of weird and wonderful beauty treatments, soaking your strands in beer certainly isn’t the most unusual approach I’ve heard, (see what I wrote about bull semen hair treatments a couple of weeks ago!) – and bizarre as it may sound, it actually works!

To rejuvenate dull, lifeless locks, simply shampoo hair as usual then pour a bottle of flat day-old beer over your mop and massage into hair for a minute before rinsing out and conditioning.

The malt and hops in beer contain proteins that are beneficial for hair, promoting follicle repair and boosting body, while the sugars present in your brew tighten the hair cuticles, making them appear sleek and shiny.

Yep, puts a whole new meaning to ‘hair of the dog’ the morning after a big night…

[Image: klghairadvice.com]

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

A new wave of Bieber hysteria has erupted in Australian with teen heart-throb and two-time Grammy winner Justin Bieber releasing his debut women’s fragrance Someday by Justin Bieber. This is Bieber’s second shot at a fragrance line after the success of his first uni-sex fragrance My World. Bieber worked with Firmenich perfumer’s to produce the fragrance, complete with a detachable heart charm.

With top notes of mandarin, pear and wild berries and a base of vanilla and soft musk, Someday by Justin Bieber has been described as a fruity, gourmand blend. After first release in the US, Bieber’s fragrance earned $3 million in the first three weeks and Australian sales are predicted to rocket sky-high.

Now available exclusively at Myer, the playful fragrance can be purchased for $79 per 100ml. A body lotion and hair mist can also be purchased exclusive to Myer.

The global superstar has been named one of Barbara Walter’s 10 Most Fascinating People and is on Time Magazine’s list of the 100 Most Influential People in the world. Bieber has a #1 album in 17 countries, over 1 billion views on YouTube and over 9.8 million followers on Twitter. So it’s no surprise his fragrance has been a success.

Committed to giving back, Bieber released the perfume in partnership with Give Back Brands and has announced he will donate a portion of the perfume’s profit to his two favourite charities- Pencils of Promise and The Make a Wish Foundation.

Bieber has already conquered nail polish with his One Less Lonely Girl line of Nicole by OPI. The line sold out and was then expanded and extended. And it seems Someday by Justin Bieber will follow suit, with Australian fans set to soak up the singer’s scent.

[Image: Zimbo.com]

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

This is me with Just Be magazine’s beautiful editor Steph lapping up the gorgeous Sydney sunshine (and a couple of delish margaritas!) at a product launch I attended one weather-perfect Friday afternoon recently. Sigh, it’s an awfully tough part of this job, but hey, someone’s gotta do it!

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and every window needs decent framework. Not everyone is blessed with long and luscious lashes though. Ah well, you know what they say: if you can’t make it, fake it!

False eyelashes that give you that Jessica Rabbit worthy sultry stare are the desire of every woman, but few of us can afford to cough up the cash (or the time) for exxy salon extensions and let’s face it, the DIY eyelash extension market can be a little scary.

That said, as Just Be’s resident intern and beauty guinea pig, I decided to put the latest at-home lashes to hit the faux lash market to the test this week. Revlon’s Beyond Natural Individual Lashes ($9.99), include 70 individual lash clusters in three varying lengths (long, medium and short) so these definitely seemed a safe option when it came to building up a look that was both natural and achievable. Here’s how I did it:

 How to get long lashes:

1. Using tweezers I carefully removed each pedindividual lash cluster from the packet and dip the ‘knot’ of each cluster into a tiny amount of Revlon Lash Glue – Precision Lash Adhesive ($9.99).
2. I placed each cluster along the root line of my natural lashes, ensuring to use the shorter lashes on the inner corner of my eye and the longer lashes towards the outer corners for a more authentic look.
3. To finish, I applied a coat of mascara over my new lashes and my natural lashes.

The verdict:

Not bad! For a budget buy you can do at home yourself, these were surprisingly easy to apply, and as my before (right eye) and afters (left eye) show – the results were – pardon the pun – worth batting an eyelid for!

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

Okay, okay so you might think it sounds silly, but doing ones makeup whilst operating a vehicle is a serious matter. A new UK study has found that almost seventy per cent of British women do their makeup on their morning transit to work, and we suspect Aussie ladies aren’t far off.

Besides the obvious risks: smudged mascara, lippie on the teeth, accidentally using your electric blue eyeliner as a lipliner – multi-tasking in the car can have disastrous results, read: attempting to cinch ones winged eyes while changing lanes into oncoming traffic rarely ends well.

The study further highlighted that an overwhelming amount of women (75%) had suffered cosmetic mishaps as a result of sudden stops in traffic while touching up on the go. Worse still are the results if you’re too short on time to spare a final hand mirror check before striding into your morning meeting with lipstick smeared across your cheek looking like you’ve just escaped from the loony bin.

Point to be made here ladies, is don’t apply and drive. Besides being really bad manners (touching up lipstick in public = acceptable, drawing on your eyebrows at the intersection = etiquette faux pas), putting on a face full of makeup whilst attempting to navigate through busy morning traffic will undoubtedly end up on your list of most regrettable decisions when you have to explain to the nice police officer why your mascara caused a three car pile-up.

Have you ever been guilty of doing your makeup while driving?

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

If the Miss Universe contest went off without a spark of controversy each year, it wouldn’t be one of the most watched shows on worldwide television. Needless to say, the pageant is accustomed to weathering its fair share of storms; but the latest scandal to hit the fake tan clad runway could be one of its biggest yet.

Twenty three year old Jenna Talackova is every bit the pageant queen – impossibly tall, lithe-limbed and golden haired, she’s about as cardboard cut-out as contestants come, except for one point of difference: Talackova was born a boy.

Despite undergoing a sex change at the age of 19, Talackova’s legitimacy as a Miss Universe candidate came under scrutiny when judges learned of the young model’s history after she reached the finals last week. National Miss Universe Canada pageant director Denis Davila told The Daily Mail he was forced to disqualify Talackova for falsifying her registration form, stating she was ‘naturally born female’.

“She feels like a real girl and she is a real girl. She didn’t expect people to question it,” Davila said. “She was hoping we could put her back in the competition but the rules are very clear and there’s no way we can go back on it.”

[Image: Daily Mail]

What do you think? Was the pageant fair in their decision to disqualify a contestant?

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

Whoever said diamonds are girls’ best friend was right. A little sparkle goes a long way and the studded nails look is oh-so-hot right now. Emblazon your digits in sparkly gems in simple patterns for instant roch chick chic.

We are obsessed with Make Up Store’s Strazz ($26.00) – made from gorgeously colourful Swarovski crystal stones that are super easy to apply (just press in gently while nails are still wet with coloured polish then set with your regular clear top coat).

Go for black nails and silver or black stones for a seriously edgy look or pare it back by applying just a few carefully chosen stones to each nail with just a slick of clear polish. Experiment with different colours and patterns, a single gem on a dark nail looks chic as does a complete covering of stones.

As Just Be’s resident intern and beauty road-tester I put Makeup Store’s Strazz to the test on my mani this week, sealing my handiwork with a coat of OPI Rapidry Topcoat ($22.45). (Gosh this is a tough gig!) What do you think JB beauties?

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

Lifestyle website Shine has just released a report estimating what Hollywood sex symbol Jennifer Anniston spends in an average year to maintain her covetable good looks. The report suggests that Jen, who was recently named ‘Hottest Woman of all Time’ by Men’s Health magazine, coughs up a whopping $135,000 a year on her appearance, which works out to jaw-dropping $400 a day.

So how did they add it all up?

Some of Jen’s most expensive running costs include thrice-weekly meetings with exy personal trainer Mandy Ingber, who is rumored to charge upwards of $300 an hour to celebrities in need of staying in tip-top shape, and regular personal styling sessions with famed celeb hair stylist Chris McMillan at $600 a pop.

Jennifer Anniston is also known to frequent the Tracie Martyn Spa for a luxe ‘Red Carpet Facial’ before awards shows and guest appearances at a cost of $450 a session.

Including her hefty luxe makeup collection, regular chemical peels, weekly brow grooming sessions, bi-weekly spray tans and a dietician, as well as a rumored nose job, Jen’s costs add up! Okay, so the website may have used a lot of guess work in compiling their little report, but as long as it makes us mere mortals feel better about not having a bod like Jen’s, we’re willing to take it as gospel!

© 2012 - Just Be Magazine www.justbemagazine.com

Image: Realbollywood,Robin Holland